NBA playoffs: What you can expect in the Celtics-Knicks series

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics swept the 4-game series with the Knicks.

The semi-finals of the Eastern Conference 2025 will be the 17th time that the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have met in the playoffs, the second most frequent (only after Celtics-Sixern) for all opponents in NBA history.

But these two franchise companies have not faced each other in the playoffs since 2013 and as in the famous words of Rick Pitino, “Larry Bird doesn't go through this door.” These other 16 series have little to do with this one and more important than their playoff story that the Celtics have won the number of the last of the kinks in the last nine meetings.

This includes a four-game swey this season, in which Boston scored an incredible 130.2 points per 100 possessions.

Can the Knicks somehow win four out of seven? Game 1 is Monday.

Series plan

How to see the Celtics vs. Knicks series:

Eastern standard time every time

Game 1: Knicks at Celtics (Mon. May 5th, TBD)
Game 2: Knicks at Celtics (May 7th, TBD)
Game 3: Celtics at Knicks (Sat. 10th May, TBD)
Game 4: Celtics at Knicks (Mon. May, May 12th, TBD)
Game 5: Knicks at Celtics (May 14th, TBD)*
Game 6: Celtics at Knicks (CHF 16, May 16, TBD)*
Game 7: Knicks at Celtics (Mon. May 19th, TBD)*

* = If necessary

Top storyline

Targeting on Brunson and cities. The crime of the Celtics is pretty simple. They want to put the less defenders of the opponents off Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. These boys attack these fewer defenders and gain an advantage, which leads to a good shot. Both Tatum and Brown can beat each defender one to one, but the crime is best when they pull help and shoot the Celtics 3 pointers from the catch.

The Knicks have three good defenders in their starting line -up, and we can expect OG Anunoby and Josh Hart to be the first defenders of Tatum or Brown. But Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns can be attacked … and they will are often attacked in the next two weeks.

The Celtics presented the cities in 134 pick-and-rolls (51 per 100 possessions) in the regular season, most of the Boston defender. The 31 Boston Ball-Screens, for which Brunson was the defender of the screen, was his fifth, and the Detroit Pistons had good luck in the first round.

This series is partly determined how well Brunson and cities against these ball screens and how well the other kinks turn behind them. The fact that the Celtics recorded only 68% of their 3-point (their second lowest rate compared to every opponent) compared to the season series is an expression of the positivity of the defense of the Knicks, which is lit over the four games.

Keep your eyes on

Cities in the post. The Celtics have two capable defenders on the front, but the two boys who defended most cities this season were Tatum and Jrue Holiday. The Celtics often rely on opposing centers (as in the final last year) so that he can change 1-5 pick-and rolls and keep the opposing ball handler.

However, other teams were also successful by defending cities with non-centers, also because they can put on their big ones to a reluctant shooter like Josh Hart. More mobility also enables the teams to better defend cities to the extent.

But can he use inside? In the first round he was occasionally against Tobias Harris, but he was more successful against the opposing center of Jalen Duren.

1 more thing that can be seen for each team

For Boston: Health of the vacation. Celtics trainer Joe Mazzulla said that the vacation was “daily” after missing the last three games of the first round with a right thigh load.

The good news is that the Celtics are used to playing short form. They had all six top boys (their preferred Starter Plus Al Horford) for only 18 of their 87 games, and when they had to go beyond their top -six, they were generally great. You surpassed the Orlando magic in Sam Hausers for 74 minutes in the first round by almost 27 points per 100 possessions.

But going to the Knicks from magic is a big step in competition, especially when it comes to needing a man who can defend a top scorer like Brunson. Brown defended Brunson more in the four regular meetings, but vacation missed a game and was Brunson in the last two main defenders.

For New York: Harts engine and open recordings. The only game in the regular season (the overtime win of the Celtics on April 8) was the game in which New York, thanks to sales and offensive bound differences, had 10 more shooting opportunities than Boston.

The Knicks have to win the possession when they have a chance in this series. Hard can help you do this with his hustle and bustle and his remarkable nose for the ball. He can also live an early insult with his willingness to promote the transition so often too late in the shooting clock.

But he will have to take open pictures. As mentioned above, the Celtics will probably be hard with their great shooters, which would prefer to stay in color and protect the edge. Therefore, hard (1: 9 from the 3-point range in the regular series of season) must lead to you paying for this strategy.

1 key number to know

39 – During the four regular season games, the Celtics made 39 more 3 points than the Knicks. This is for the fourth largest differential for every regular seasonal series in the 46 seasons of the 3-point line. The Celtics tied the NBA record for Made 3 pointers (29) at their opening victory against New York and then made 10, three and eight threesome in the next three meetings.

The Knicks obviously need people like Hart, Mikal Bridges (7-against-22 from Deep vs. Boston) and Anunoby (2-to-15) to shoot well. You also have to free the cities for some Perimeter looks. This season he tried only 11 3 points against Boston, and his 2.9 attempts per 36 minutes were his second lowest rate against every opponent.

At the other end of the floor, the kinks were pretty good at restricting opponents 3 and ending with the sixth lowest 3-point rate of the league (40.7% of their opponents) in the regular season. But the Celtics rate was 53.9% in the four meetings, and the reluctance of the Knicks to change with Brunson or cities should enable the Celtics to bend the defense and look good from the hook.

The choice

Celtics in five. The Knicks could achieve their first victory against one of the three best teams in the league (they went 0-10 against Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City), but it is difficult to imagine that they get four. All four of their victories against the pistons could have gone in the other, and the defending champions are a much more talented opponent.

The Celtics have the defenders (and the program) that the two best players can restrict in New York, and they have a crime that they can use at the other end of the soil. A harder opponent itself should give the champions the urgency to play with the necessary focus.